Forgive my ignorance but does anyone know what the difference is between frying and sauté cooking ?  (assuming there is a difference) :)

Saute is shallow frying, usually in mixture butter & oil. Frying is well.....much the same thing :D :D

Christine, Spain.

Thanks, Christine :)
It's just that I'm debating which pan to buy ! The sauté pan in the range I like is a lot cheaper so, if there's not a lot of difference in what it does, I think price will win on this occasion. :)

I buy cheapest I can find cos hubby always manages to ruin them anyway & he only ever fries an egg I`ve got a nice good one tho from M&S that he`s banned from using & just to make sure I hide it ;) :D
I love saute potatoes made from leftover jacket spuds mmmm scrummy :)

Christine, Spain.

I always consider that I am sauteing (sp??) when I am moving the food around in the pan the whole time - if I am frying, I let it sit & cook in the oil (and very rarely fry anything these days!)

Margot

Ah, I see, Margot - it's all in the movement, isn't it ? :) vive la difference ! :)

We fry/saute alot but always use extra virgin olive oil.

We also trim fat off any meat we are using or use reduced fat mince etc .

That way it is a healthier way of cooking but still keeping the flavour ?

Lucy
xx

Try here as I did a search on the interweb on saute and found this wonderful site

http://www.hintsandthings.co.uk/index.htm

Off to have a nosey now :D

Lucy
xx

If I am browning mince, first of all, I heat the pan (generally use a wok) on its own (a couple of minutes) then add the mince (no oil or fat), stir it around like mad until the fat starts to run from the meat, and then add onions/garlic.   Once the meat is brown, I pour the fat away - there has to be some fat, even in reduced-fat mince, or it is very tough.  This way, you can tenderise the meat, but loss some of the excess fat.   I also then add about 1 tbs of porrige oats - which absorbs the remaining fat AND thickens AND is good carbohydrate!

Margot

I always thought saute was a french term & meant  a simple process of rapidly cooking meat and vegetables in a small amount of fat/oil.

OK lets define the ideal diet.

Impossible :)

Lucy
xx

Its also used as a way to finish cooked food off, like saute pots to brown them or cooked peas etc then tossed in butter/oil mixture without browning. It is a french term tho but its gone out of fashion to use so much oil/butter :)
Lucy its best not to heat virgin oil, you`ll find heating destroys it`s qualities so its best to use good quality oil for frying & keep extra virgn to use cold for salads etc :)

Christine, Spain.